Hunger Games Galaxies: District 4
by War292004
Summary: The fourth, soaring district of Hunger Games Galaxies. May the odds be ever in your favorite characters' favor. Part 4/13.
1. Chapter 1

**The Hunger Games Galaxies: District 4**

The people of the sky, a world unlike any of the other galaxies… that's why Arcadia was chosen by the Gods as one of the original thirteen worlds. The people that lived amongst the islands in the sky, underneath the six bright moons, sometimes the envy of the other worlds. And yet, since the destruction of Soltis, they were the least populated of the worlds. That meant that every child in the world was entered into the initial Reaping, and an equal number of each were selected to make the journey half a world away to the designated neutral zones. Attendance was mandatory.

Yet, to some, like the Valuan Empire, the annual Hunger Games were nothing more than an obnoxious trifle. Even in the middle of a conquest, they were forced to stop, lest they face the Gods' wrath, but their compassion for those who were chosen didn't extend beyond their own greed and thirst for more land, even when an Upper Class tribute was chosen.

Not one person in all the world could hide. Anyone who did was blown out of the sky. Even the Blue Rogues, Black Pirates, and others who didn't live on society's rules, they all submitted the names of their children for the yearly reaping. Broadcast across the sky, the Elder Silvites were the ones who stood as the bridge between the Gods and Arcadia.

"Remember last year? They chose a boy from Esperanza, and a girl from Ixa'Taka," muttered Marco, as he sat on one of the special ships transporting tributes toward the neutral zone at Sailor's Island.

"Yeah… the girl did really well, too, she made the Top 8," muttered Aika, her hands shaking.

"Relax," said Vyse, smiling to his friends. "We may have been picked, but there's going to be over six thousand possible tributes. There's no guarantee that any of us will be picked."

The young captain smiled for the remainder of the tributes in the boat. From his own crew, he knew Urala, Hans, Marco, Fina, Aika, and even Vyse himself were all possible choices. Others accompanied them, for moral support. But it wasn't just the Crescent Isle crews that were travelling with them. They had a number of children from Pirate Isle as well, which left several heartbroken pirates back home while many of the wives accompanied their children to the Reaping.

"Um… I'm sorry for being ignorant," said Fina, quietly. "But… when was the last time District 4 had a victor?"

"Not too long ago, actually… a little less than a decade," said Aika. "In fact, wasn't his name Lawrence?"

Vyse flashed back to the cold, calculating mercenary he'd seen on Sailor Island during their last trip. Thinking back on it, it made perfect sense. His cold demeanor, his unwillingness to get close to people… had they really encountered the most recent tribute of the planet and not known?

The Gods, while strict on the Reaping, were much more lenient on the Blue Rogues especially when it came to actually watching the Games, so Vyse had rarely watched them in their entirety as they crew up. His mother would often try to shield him and Aika from the most violent scenes, and they'd find excuses to sail as much as possible otherwise.

"There is is," breathed Aika.

The port of Sailor's Island was busier than they'd ever seen it; larger ships were forbidden to dock in the harbor because of the sheer amount of people. So, they were instead put on smaller lifeboats, which cycled in and out as they dropped their passengers off. They saw everything from the grandiose and majestic ships of Valua to the red-and-brown vessels from Nasr, and even a tiny fleet of ships from distant Yafutoma and Ixa'Taka. There were only a couple of pirate ships that blatantly displayed their colors; most used the special, anonymous type of transport offered through the Gods.

"Do you think the Prince Enrique will be here again this year?" asked Aika.

"Even the sons and daughters of royalty are not immune?" asked Fina, gasping.

"Nope. And, actually, Enrique has been reaped every single year he's been eligible," said Vyse. "Some people are just unlucky."

They docked afterwards, and were quickly separated from the adults and youngest children. They registered in front of Polly's old tavern and were taken to a central street basically in the middle of the entire island. Temporary stands had been set up all over the place, and they were filled more to capacity. In front of them stood a screen. The Elder Silvites, Fina explained, never left their place on the Moon, so the Reaping was always done in this way. Around them, the strange devices that captured and projected their images to the other worlds panned the crowds, which fell silent as one of the Arcadia-based priests raised his hands for quiet.

"Welcome to the two-thousand-and-twelfth annual Hunger Games," said Elder Prime, his old, wizened voice blasting around the area. "As you are all aware, our district is charged with the task of selecting one courageous man and woman for the honor of representing all of District 4… however… there have been several changes this year…"

Everyone shifted uncomfortably. Changes were never good.

"First, and foremost: there will be no sponsoring of tributes this year," said Elder Prime. "And the second… well, it is one you already know, but the age restrictions have been relaxed, both higher and lower…"

A ripple of angry mutters ran through the crowd, but nobody said anything. None of the Peacekeepers, also stationed around, made any moves. But the citizens of District 4 knew better than that; twenty years ago, there'd been a riot when a pair of twelve-year-olds had been picked, and the stampede and firing from the Peacekeepers resulted in over two dozen dead and another fifty wounded, including one of the tributes.  
"Therefore, it is with… great honor…" Elder Prime seemed to be struggling this year especially. "That… we choose our first tribute, the young woman."

He raised his arm to the bowl and withdrew a sheet of paper, unfolding it slowly. He peered closely at it, before his eyes rose back up to view the entire galaxy.

"Our tribute… single name… Urala, from Yafutoma," said Elder Prime.

A strangled shriek, quickly muffled, followed that. Urala trembled as Hans embraced her, tears already flowing down his cheek. The Peacekeepers moved quickly; they always had since the riot, trying to break up the lovers as quickly as possible. Fina also let out a sob and Aika turned away, her shoulders hunched, while Vyse felt his stomach churn and his fists tighten in anger.

"I volunteer," came a cool, cold voice.

Kirala stood between the Peacekeepers and her sister, her arms stretched out protectively around her and Hans. Her face was set hard and her eyes were narrowed in fury. They hadn't seen her that angry in a long time… if ever.

"We seem to have a volunteer," said Elder Prime, his face now taking up the whole screen as he leaned in. "Please, my dear, state your name."

"My name is Kirala. I accept the position as tribute, volunteering for my younger sister," she said, standing tall.

"Very well. Please approach the stage," said Elder Prime.

Urala, weeping, fell to the ground. Kirala didn't turn back to see her sister, nor to help. Instead, she marched straight to the stage and ascended the steps, glaring at the crowd as she waited for her male counterpart to join her. Vyse understood. There would be time, later, to privately say their goodbyes. Now, she had to stay brave, to show the rest of the worlds that she was not a weak one, and had no trouble fighting. In a normal year, this would have net her a lot of sponsors, but, with things different this year…

"Our second tribute… single name… Vyse from Crescent Isle," said Elder Prime.

Aika and Fina's shrieks were the loudest, but all of Vyse's current crew and former friends from Pirate Isle were screaming their displeasure and terror at the sound of Vyse's name. Vyse, going by Kirala's example, affixed his usual carefree and self-assured grin to his face and walked to the stage, his head held high. Kirala smiled at him, even though he could sense her fear, and the two shared a firm handshake before they turned to face the crowd before them. Many of the Valuans, Vyse was sickened to see, looked thrilled that none of their own had been picked. He quickly picked out Enrique, who looked conflicted, but Vyse gave a quick shake of the head to tell him not to try anything funny.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we shall conclude our ceremony momentarily," said Elder Prime. "So, once more, let's have a round of applause for District 4's tributes: Kirala and Vyse."

**Author's Notes:**

**Short explanation time on how this whole ordeal is going to work!**

**The games themselves are still in progress, so for now I'm only doing the intro stuff. All events that take place in the Districts will be in their appropriately-titled stories in the proper crossover section. Once that's all taken care of and it collapses into one story, I'll put the title at the end of each District Introduction Section (or just click on my author name to find it yourself). **

**The entire story is being decided solely on a complicated series of dice rolls, to prevent bias on my part and to make it so even I have no idea how this is going to end or who is going to win. **

**Let me be clear: this is not going to be an "everyone bands together and fights the evil powers and they all survive" story. As of writing this paragraph, ten tributes are dead. So if you see your favorite character selected… well, don't get mad if they don't make it through.**

**That's all for now. May the odds be ever in your (favorite characters') favor.**


	2. Chapter 2

**The Hunger Games Galaxies**

**District 4 Introduction: Part 2**

After a couple of moments, Elder Prime's face faded from the giant screens all around the central area of Sailor's Island. A static image of space replaced them, followed by the Seal of the Gods, and the usual hymn that was sang right before the Voice of the Gods spoke to them. After they were done and the music died down, he did so.

"Citizens of the Twelve Districts: welcome to the Reaping. As you send your courageous Tributes off to the field of battle, keep in your hearts the hope for them to return victorious! It is only with your encouragement and prayers that they may have an edge in battle!

"As with each year, we attempt to up the entertainment value for the Games, finding new and exciting ways to increase competition and spectacle, and this year is no different… however, this year's Hunger Games will be an undertaking like nothing we've seen before, with multiple, surprising changes hidden around each corner."

"I hate it when they have surprises," Vyse muttered on stage next to Kirala, after quickly checking around to make sure none of the cameras were on them. "It never bodes well for the tributes…"

"I know what you mean," replied Kirala, quietly. "Let's hope it's nothing more than the lack of sponsors…"

"You've already experienced the first: the relaxation of the age restrictions. But, this is only the beginning. Another is that we will not be permitting any Gods to act as sponsors; the tributes will be on their own," said the Voice.

"I wonder if he even knows that Elder Prime already spoiled all their 'special rules,'" Aika muttered angrily to Fina.

"I… I don't know…" Fina said, still struggling to hold back tears. "Wh-what else could they possibly do…?"

"Each year," continued the Voice. "The 24 tributes provide ample opportunity for not only the Gods but all of you in the Districts to observe each other in a cultural exchange of sorts… but we were wondering… how could we make this exchange even stronger and more varied…?

"And therefore, the Gods have decreed that, from each District, we shall Reap a second group of tributes, ensuring this year's Hunger Games provides even more entertainment than the last!"

Screams and shrieks tore through the crowd. From around the edges, parents began to fight toward their children, and Peacekeepers began to fire warning shots in the air. On stage, Vyse and Kirala's eyes widened, masks of horror on their faces. Down in the Reaping pool, most of the Crescent Isle crew remained comparatively calm in the utter chaos around them. After a brief struggle, order seemed to have been restored to the people of District 4. Elder Prime's face appeared again on the screen.

"Well… in that case… it is time for us to pick our second round of tributes…" said Elder Prime, sounding very uncomfortable.

He floated over to the enormous bowl with the girls' names in it, digging around, his eyes closed. Finally, he withdrew a name and moved back toward the camera. He unwrapped it as he went, but his eyes widened as he viewed it. He looked up at the camera, out over the rest of the congregation, and struggle to speak.

"O-our s-second f-female is… … Fina, from Crescent Isle," he said.

Vyse gasped and looked down into the crowd. The Peacekeepers were already moving, as Aika stood in front of Fina, blocking her. The other members of his crew protested, shouting at the Peacekeepers, but they were roughly thrown away by the advancing guards. Finally, Vyse had enough. He leapt down into the madness of the group and ran to the trembling girl, knocking two Peacekeepers out of the way himself. He stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Aika.

"We'll escort her to the stage," said Vyse. "Keep your hands away from her."

"Yeah," said Aika. "And… and… I volunt—."

"NO!" cried Fina, suddenly. "Aika, you… you can't! Elder Prime, I accept no volunteers!"

"But, Fina!" gasped Aika, whirling around. "You… I…"

"I know the odds, but I won't let you go to the arena for me!" exclaimed Fina. "I… I couldn't bear it if something happened to you…"

"Get a move on or we're dragging you both back to the stage," snarled one of the Peacekeepers.

"Got it, got it," said Vyse, waving him away. "Aika… we'll talk later."

They walked back towards the stage, flanked by guards. Vyse and Fina ascended the steps, and Aika was lead back to the group by the Peacekeepers. Most of the auditorium was silent, save for the low sobs and tears falling from the groups. Kirala hugged Fina when she joined them on the stage, the three holding hands and staring hard at the stage floor. Above them, Elder Prime moved to the other bowl of names, cringing has he selected one directly on the top. When he was back in the forefront, they saw him tremble and heard a gasp escape his lips. He faced them again to announce the final name.

"R-Ramirez, from Valua," he stuttered.

There was an indignant uproar in the Valuan side of the stadium, as expected. The fact that they were losing one of their best Admirals in the Valuan Armada certainly didn't sit well with them. Even Enrique looked surprised and concerned; Vyse could only imagine Empress Teodora's shocked face, since the useless woman hadn't even bothered to attend the Reaping, despite her son's risk of being chosen.

Ramirez ignored the outcry and headed immediately for the stage. There was a sick, hungry grin on his face. He ignored the Peacekeepers completely, striding up the stage with his head held high in the air. He leered at his other fellow tributes, before he turned to address the central square and, by extension, the Gods and Other Worlds.

"My name is Ramirez. Whoever stands in my way will be destroyed. I will bring victory to District 4, with or without the help of my fellow tributes. Remember this face, for it will be the last thing you see on the battlefield before you die," he said, coldly.

He stepped back to stand next to the other tributes, but he didn't even reach for their hands; he barely even acknowledged the others. Vyse could feel Fina trembling next to him, but Ramirez's fighting words had caused an uproar, with massive amounts of cheers blasting through the center of Sailor's Island. After a few minutes, the Seal appeared on the screens again.

"This shall be my final announcement," rang out the Voice of the Gods. "To each of our Districts… and to our viewing entities… there is one additional rule change to this year's Hunger Games. If the last 2, 3, or 4 tributes are from the same district, they shall be declared the victor, and the Games will end."

A collective gasp flew around the stadium. Vyse glanced at the girls and Ramirez, grinning. Fina and Kirala smiled back, a renewed hope in their eyes. Ramirez showed no emotion or enthusiasm over the rule change. Even as they were lead back to the staging area for meeting with well-wishers after the Reaping itself, he said nothing to anyone. He merely stomped off to his room and slammed the door shut.

"He's not very friendly, is he?" Kirala muttered. "We could use him to help us."

"I can't believe you and him were both picked, Fina," said Vyse. "What'll happen to the Silvites now?"

"That… remains to be seen…" Fina replied, sighing. "If all goes well, we should all be able to return, right?"

"Well yeah, of course," said Vyse, grinning. "We're Blue Rogues, and we've even got an Armada Admiral to help us in there. There's no way we're going down."

"Vyse! Fina! Kirala!" came a cry from downstairs.

Aika sprinted ahead of the others, leaping into the arms of her friends. For a moment, they stood there, hugging each other, until the rest of Vyse's growing crew showed up. One by one, they shook his and Fina's hand, wishing him congratulations. Urala hugged her sister tight and begged her to stay safe, as well as begging for Vyse and Fina to try and keep her safe. They eventually retreated into Vyse's meeting room, where the sailors had smuggled in several bottles of loqua. For a few minutes, there was not a lot of talk of anything but happy memories from the past, even as they crammed more and more Blue Rogues into the room.

"So do you really think the three of you can win this?" asked Marco.

"I don't think so. I know so," said Vyse. "We haven't travelled halfway around the world just to lose here. This is just another test, right, Fina?"

"Um… yes! Of course," said Fina. "We're going to do our best to come back… and I'm sure Ramirez will, too."

"Doesn't look very friendly if you ask me… might want to watch out for him," said one of Vyse's father's crewmembers.

"You don't think he'd actually turn on members of his own district, do you?" asked a shocked Captain Clara.

"It's not unheard of… every couple of years you see it happen in the midst of battle," said Mabel, another raider from Pirate Isle.

"And let's face it, Ramirez already has rather… ill relations… with all of us," said Aika, sighing.

There was a pounding on the door, and in walked several Peacekeepers. They were shocked at the sheer number of people crammed into the room, and even more displeased at the loqua bottles sitting everywhere. Thankfully, the quick-thinking Kirala was happy to part with several potent bottles, which won them at least a little bit of silence. One-by-one, everyone filed out, including Kirala, who went to have a few last private moments with her family. Only Aika, Vyse, and Fina remained.

"So… this is it, then?" Aika muttered, quietly.

"Until we get back…" said Fina.

"But… but what if you don't…" muttered Aika.

Vyse chuckled. "We're not like normal kids. We're no Upper City Valuan Fat Kids. We know how to fight; we've done it all our lives. So don't worry. We'll come back to you."

"Yeah… yeah you're right, how silly of me," said Aika, forcing a laugh.

"Just take care of my parents for me, won't you?" asked Vyse, hugging her suddenly. "Until we do get back, you're in charge. I'm leaving the Delphinus to you."

"Can I change it to my flag color?" Aika asked, chuckling nervously.

Vyse laughed. "Sure, whatever floats your boat."

"Goodbye, Aika," Fina said, hugging her friend. "May the Moons protect you."

"And same to you both as well. We're all rooting for you back here," said Aika.

There was another knock on the door and both Gilder and Enrique peaked their heads in. Vyse grinned and both Fina and Aika giggled, quickly going to embrace their travel companions. Outside, they saw more Peacekeepers, hastily shoving some sort of contraband into their uniforms, courtesy of Gilder no doubt.

"So… you were chosen…" Enrique said. "I… I'm sorry I wasn't able to help…"

"Don't beat yourself up over it, Princey," said Aika, thumping him on the shoulder. "Besides, these guys are coming back, ain't they?"

"Damn right you all are," said Gilder, smirking in his usual way. "We still got a lot of ass to kick here; you can't go dying on us yet."

Vyse grinned. "Heh. When you put it like that… we'll show 'em how Blue Rogues do things, right, Fina?"

There was another knock and the door opened. The Peacekeeper gave them the heads-will-roll symbol, shaking his head. They could hear the officials, including the Head Peackeeper, talking heatedly outside with another. Aika and Enrique looked at Vyse, eyes raised. Vyse shook his head and waved them away, stealing one last goodbye hug from Aika and another handshake to each Enrique and Gilder. After they left, Vyse and Fina were beckoned outside, where Kirala and a stone-faced Ramirez awaited them.

"You will now be transported to the classified portal location. Follow me," said the Head Peacekeeper, gruffly.

They were paraded down the center of Pirate Isle. It was easy to see the Blue Rogues, thanks to Aika's hair. Vyse walked with his head high, waving and grinning widely at everyone. Fina walked close to him, timidly raising her hand at a few others, smiling. Ramirez ignored them, staring straight ahead and not acknowledging anyone. Kirala, too, barely turned to look at anyone else, merely focusing on the waiting lifeboat that would take them away.

After they'd finally left Sailor's Island behind, they were given free reign aboard the small ship. It was a Valuan vessel, but populated only by the Peacekeepers and other Godly Representatives. Immediately after they were turned loose, Ramirez disappeared to his cabin, slamming the door shut so forcefully it rocked the ship. Vyse sighed.

"I thought maybe he'd lighten up once the cameras were gone… no such luck, huh?" said Vyse.

"There was a big commotion before we left involving him," said Kirala. "You know that guy… Lord Galcian? Of Valua?"

"Yeah, what about him?" asked Vyse, his curiosity piqued.

"He was trying to bribe them to take another… he said Alfonso had volunteered, and was simply overheard," said Kirala.

"That… that doesn't sound like Alfonso…" Fina said.

Vyse rolled his eyes. "No, it doesn't. Alfonso is neither selfless nor brave… which means Galcian was trying to switch them for the sacrifice."

"Right, but even Ramirez didn't want it, apparently," said Kirala. "He said he wanted to prove himself in the arena, and that he was going to kill every last tribute in the arena and take all the glory for himself. I think he included us in that death count."

"So… we may have to fight Ramirez, too…?" Fina muttered.

"Let's not worry about that yet," said Vyse. "If that is the case, all we have to do is stay out of his way for a few days until the numbers thin out… or he dies."

Even as he said it, Fina's face fell. She sighed. "I guess… it's starting to hit now, huh? We have to kill or be killed…"

"I'll do my best to keep you both safe… it's better than my sister getting sent to the slaughter," Kirala muttered. "So… let's do our best to meet up in the arena and stay together, okay?"

"Yeah, for sure," said Vyse. "Let's head to the dining hall and start making some plans; maybe they'll even have some of the other Reapings on the monitors now, too."

They headed down to the bottom deck to the mostly-deserted dining room. There was a huge spread for them, but they could only eat so much. As the sun began to sink deeper in the sky and the Silver Moon shone brighter in the twilight, talk turned away from their impending fight for survival to the happier times of their lives as they struggled to hold on to the last moments of happiness in their home world of Arcadia.

**Author's Note:**

**This completes the introduction for District 5. Once the remaining introductions are uploaded for the remaining districts, I will finally be able to start writing the story of the actual games, starting with the introductory parade and interviews.**


End file.
